Method and apparatus for sinking piling



E. F. ESTES.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SINKING FILING.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3,191 8- Patented July 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I lA/l/E/V TOR 5L ME if? E6 7215,

A TTORNEYS E. F. ESTES.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SINKING PILING.

A TTORNEYS APPLICATION FILED JULY 3,1918- WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

ELMER FORREST ESTES, OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SINKINGPILING.

a new method and apparatus for use in the hydraulic sinking of piling,and in the course of which opera-tlon there is to be overcome a sidepressure of he surrounding earth against the sides of the piling, thatmay be likened in part to that occurring in the excavation of a wellwhen a cave-in is threatened. I

In general, piling is hydraulically sunk by forcing water downwardlyinto the ground so as to soften the same to the consistency of mud inorder to permit the piling to lower into place. As the piling lowers itis evident that there will be an increasingly active frictiondevelopedbetween thesame and the side walls of the opening it has made,and to avoid this disadvantage many devices have been employed toproduce a film of water between the piling and the surrounding earth. Sofar as I am aware, however, all such devices and methods havecontemplated and practised the emission of the water away from thepiling and have been found ineffective for this well as lack ofmobility.

in the first instance the water emitted away from the piling is taken upat once by the surroinuling earth instead of forming a lubriz'iatingfilm between the earth and the piling. and in the second instance thedevices lack desired adjustability so that they may be moved. withrespect to the surface of the piling and adjusted from point to pointdependent upon where their greatest need is felt.

My present method contemplates the use of a water emitting arrangementcapable of movement along the piling and of the emission of sheet ofwater againstthe piling so that it will in this manner be calculated tobring about the desired lubrication between the piling and the adjacentearth.

As to the apparatus my invention contemplates a movable device in thenature of a scraper having water discharge aperture of slot-likeformation, although the invention is capable of more simple constructionSpecification of Letters Patent. Patented Jul 27 1920 Application filedJuly 3, 1918.

Serial No. 243,188.

in carrying out the method described above and as will be hereinaftermore fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate various devices embodyingthe invention,

Figure 1 is a vertical section illustrating piling in the course ofsetting,

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of a form of water emitting scraperembodying the invention,

Figs. 3 to 9 inclusive are vertical sectional views through modifiedforms of scrapers,

Fig. 10 is an elevation of a more simple form of water emitting device,and

Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively a vertical and horizontal sectionthrough the device of Fig. 10.

Referring now to these figures, the method of my present inventionconsists-in the'utilization of a movable water emitting apparatuscapable of adjustment on the pil- Jmg or continuously shiftable withrespect thereto, and the discharge of water from such device toward andagainst the surface of the piling on which the device is movable wherebythe water will be caused to impinge upon the piling and in this wayassure delivery between the piling and the earth in such manner that aminimum portion of the water so delivered will be absorbed by the earthand a maximum portion thereof will remain to furnish the desiredlubrication for the piling in its movement downwardly through the earth.

As to apparatus, my invention is capable of being carried out with avariety of devices each of which is however mounted at the end of awater delivery pipe which is lowered alongside of thepilin-g. and may beof the simple form shown in Figs. it), 11, and 12 where the deliverypipe 15 is connected at its extremity, by means of T- 'coupling 16, tolateral pipes 17 closed at their outer ends by caps 18, the pipes 17 aswell as the T-coupling 16, having lengthwise slots in alinement with oneanother to .form a water emission slot approximating inner surfaceconcave as seen at 22, its inner face having a water emitting slot 23ape proximating the width of the adjacent face of the piling as will beseen by reference to Fig. 1. This slot 23 communicates with the hollowbody of the member and the latter has an extending nipple 25 whichprovides for its convenient attachment to the respective water deliverypipe 26 of Fi 1.

is seen in F ig. 3 the water emitting member 2? is convex on the outsideas at 28 and has a concave inner face 29 provided at an intermediatepoint with a water emitting slot 30 differing from the form shown inFig. 1; where the member 31 is generally of the shape of F 1 to 3inclusive. The water emitting'member may have water emission slots 32both above and below its inner concave face 33. As seen in Fig. 5 thedischarge slot or orifice 34 maybe located in an upper extension 35leaving the lower edge 36 entirely free to function as a scraper, and inaccordance with the form shown in Fig. 6 the scraper like dischargemember 37 may have a'flat inner face 33, doing away with the concave andwith the emission slot 39 adjacent its lower scraping edge.

According to the form of Fig. 7 the body of the scraping member 40 maybe elongated so that by the interposition of an intermediate groovedportion 41 two scraping edges 4:2and 43 may result as well as twodischarge heads, each having water emission slots 34:.

According to the form shown in Fig. 8 the body of the water dischargemember i5 may approach the crescent shape as shown so as to increase theeffectiveness of its scraping edges 46, and the water emission slot 47may be either single as seen in Fig. 8 or double as seen at 4L8 inconnection with the member i9 of Fig. 9.

It will be observed however that in every instance the descriptionrelates to an apparatus movable along the exterior of the piling andcapable ofdelivering, emitting or discharging a thin uniform stream orsheet of water toward the piling in order to cause the same to impingeagainst the piling and thusbring about its disposition between thepiling and the earth through which it is desired'to lubricate themovement of the piling.

It is obvious therefore that each of the 7 modified forms of apparatusis well calculated to carry out the method involved and sinking ofpiling which consists in continuously scraping the'sides of the pilingas it lowers into the ground and at the same time delivering water instreams directly toward and impinging upon the surface of the piling asdescribed. V

3. The improved method of aiding the sinking of piling which consists inthe utilization of pile scraping devices shiftable along the sides ofthe piling adjacent the surface thereof during the pile sinkingoperation, and the discharge of water from such devices directly againstthe said adjacent surface of the piling as described.

4. The improved method of aiding the sinking of piling which consists inthe utili- ;zation of pile scraping and water emission devices'shiftable along the sides of the piling adjacent the surface thereofand dur 'ing the sinking operation, and a dlscharge of water insheetsagainst the said adjacent surface of the piling as described.

5. An apparatus of the character" described, for use in connection withpiling, consisting of a discharge head movable independently of thepiling alongside thereof during the sinking of the piling and having ascraper and a discharge slot opening toward the piling for delivering asheet of water against the latter.

6. An apparatus of the character described, consisting of a scrapershiftable along the surface of the piling during the sinking of thepiling, having a discharge orifice at one side opening toward the pilingfor the purpose described.

7. A. device of' the character described, comprising a hollow memberhaving scraping edges for engagement with the surface.

of piling, said member being movable along the piling during the sinkingoperation and having a'discharge slot opening toward an object engagedby the said scraping edges.

ELMER- FORREST ESTES.

\Vitnesses :v V I THno. TREHEARNE, H. J lVINNnTT.

